07/20/2011
Dr. Kenneth A. Salaam (b. March 23, 1949), also known as "Freedom Smitty, " was raised in North Philadelphia and was a member of the NAACP Youth Council under the leadership of Cecil B. Moore. As a teenager, Dr. Salaam participated in the Columbia Avenue riots and shares his recollections of the events, the Columbia Avenue neighborhood, and the relationship between residents and police. Dr. Salaam also discusses his participation in the NAACP protests at Girard College and his memories of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Cecil B. Moore, Georgie Woods, and other prominent civil rights leaders.
Civil Rights in a Northern City
Columbia Avenue Riots
Desegregation of Girard College